Creeper with adjustable supporting surface



July 15, 1958 A. PELLETIER 2,843,391

CREEPER WITH ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING SURFACE Filed Sept. 12, 1955iiijaaar: MENTOR Arm and DEL M57750 @(4 I BY ATTORNEYS United StatesPatent 6 CREEPEli-l WHTH ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING FsURFACE Armandllelietier, St. Jean, Quebec, Canada Application September 12, 1955,Serial No. 533,818

2 Elainns. (Cl. ecu-42.6

The present invention relates to an automobile creeper device wherebymechanics or others when lying thereupon may move and support themselvescomfortably beneath an automobile during the course of making repairs.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a creeperof the character described which is adjustable in height so that, apartfrom the above mentioned use, it may also serve as a platform to enablemechanics to reach the top portion of the auto-mobile being repaired.

Yet another important object of the present invention is the provisionof an adjustable creeper which is stable and will not accidentally tipover in any elevated adjusted position.

Still another important object of the present invention is the provisionof an adjustable creeper of the character described which has a minimumheight when in its lowermost collapsed position.

The foregoing and other important objects of the pres ent invention willbecome more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring tothe drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the creeper in its collapsed lowermostposition;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the creeper in an elevatedintermediate position;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section along lines 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a longitudinal partial section of the head portion of thecreeper with the matting in rolled position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like referencecharacters indicate like elements throughout, the creeper comprises arectangular wooden panel 1 having at one end a transverse slot 2 formanipulating the creeper. A yoke-shaped metal member 3 is rigidlysecured on top of and across the panel 1 at the head end portionthereof. The yoke member '3 provides two downwardly extending lugs 4which are spaced from the sides of the panel 1. A U-shaped frame 5 hasits free legs pivotally connected to the lugs 4 as shown at 6. The frame5 is made of straight lengths of bars of channel cross-section weldedtogether at their ends. The lugs 4 enter slots 7 made at the free endsof said U-shaped frame to be pivotally connected by the pins 6. The axisof the pins 6 is equidistant from the top face 31 of panel 1 and fromthe corresponding edge 3?. of U-shaped member 32, so that when the panelis completely collapsed, the edge 32 will be in the plane of the topface 31 of panel 1. A second U-shaped frame 8 having a slightly smallerwidth than the frame 5 so as to fit inside the latter, is pivotallyconnected at 9, at the middle portion of its parallel legs to the middleportion of the parallel legs of the U-shaped frame 5. The U-frame 8 isalso made of straight lengths of bars of channel cross-section weldedtogether.

The free ends of the parallel legs of the U-frame 8 are interconnectedby a transverse rod Ill which is engageable with any one of a pluralityof ratchet teeth 11 of a pair of rack members 12 which are rigidlysecured underneath the wooden panel 1 along the side edges thereof andterminate at the foot end of the panel 1. A guard rod 13 extendsparallel to each rack member 12 and is spaced from the same so as tomaintain the transverse rod 10 always ready to be engaged with theratchet teeth 11. It will be noted that the reentrant portions 33 of theratchet teeth 11 are at the same distance from the top face 31 of panel1, as the transverse rod 10 is from the corresponding edge 34 of theparallel legs of U-frame 8, so that when the panel is collapsed, thisedge 34 will again lie in the plane of the top face 31 of the panel 1.

The size of the two U-shaped frames 5 and 8 is such that said frameswill nest one into the other when the creeper is in its lowermostcollapsed position as shown in Figure 1. In this position, the crosslegs 14 and 15 of the frames 5 and h respectively, extend close to theend edges of the panel 1, and the frames 5 and 8 lie in substantiallythe same plane as the panel 1 so as to take up a minimum of height. Tothis end, the distance between the inner edge 35 of cross leg 14 and theaxis of pins 6 is greater than the distance between the axis of pins 6and the opposite end 36 of panel 1; similarly the distance between theaxis of pivotal connection 9 and the edge 37 of panel 1 adjacent theyoke 4 is smaller than the distance between the axis of pivotalconnection 9 and the inner edge 38 of cross leg 15. To the same end, thedistance from the axis of pivotal connection 9 to the axis of pins 6,combined with the distance from the axis of pivotal connection 9 to thefree end 39 of the legs of U-frame 8, is smaller than the distance fromthe axis of pins 6 to the opposite end 36 of panel 1.

The creeper is provided with castors 16 so that the user mayconveniently move himself underneath the automobile being repaired whilelying on the creeper. The castors 16 are preferably adjustably mountedon the frames 5 and 8 adjacent their respective cross legs 14 and 15'.More particularly, the castors may be moved closer to or farther awayfrom the legs 14 and 15 by loosening the nuts 17 and moving the castorswithin the slots 18 made in the side legs of said frames 5 and 8. Thusit will be understood that when the creeper is in a certain intermediateelevated position, the castors 15 may or may not engage the ground sothat said creeper may be moved about on its castors or may be heldstationary when the legs 14 and 1S engage the floor. The

directed spindle.

The creeper may be elevated to any adjusted position from its collapsedposition, shown in Figure 1, by engaging the transverse rcd 10 in anyone pair of transversely aligned ratchet teeth 11 of the rack members12. When returning the creeper from any elevated position to itscollapsed position, the foot end of the panel is gripped by the slot 2and lifted and the transverse rod 10 disengaged from the ratchet wheel11 so that said transverse rod ltl may slide toward the foot end of thepanel. In order to prevent said collapsing movement from being effectedtoo rapidly, which would result in the operators hand being hurt by thecross leg 14 of the U-shaped frame 5, the transverse rod 10 is connectedto the head end of the panel 1 by means of two tension springs 19.

The creeper, according to the present invention, is also provided with arubber matting or carpeting 20 which normally extends over the wholelength of the panel 1 and is secured to the head end of said panel 1 bybeing inserted underneath the yoke member 3. When the creeper is used asa platform or table, the matting 20 is rolled, as shown in Figure 4, andmaintained in that position by means of a sheet of fabric 21 which isalso 3 secured underneath the yoke member 5 and extends underneath thehead portion of the carpet 20. The free end of the sheet 21 is hooked atthe head end of the panel 1 by means of L-shaped hooks 22.

While a preferred embodiment according to the present invention has beenillustrated and described, it is understood that various modificationsmay be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A creeper comprising a rectangular panel having top and bottom faces,two U-shaped members pivotally connected at the central portions oftheir side legs, both side legs of one U-shaped member being disposedinternally of the side legs of the other U-shaped member, a yoke memberrigidly connected to the top face of said panel adjacent oneend thereofwith its bent portions spaced outwardly from the sides of said panel,the free ends of the side legs of the outer U-shaped member beingpivotally connected to the bent portions of said yoke with the pivotalaxis equidistant from the top face of the panel and the correspondingedges of the side legs of said outer U-shaped member, two racks securedto the bottom face of said panel, parallel and adjacent to the sidesv ofsaid panel, extending from the end of said panel op posite said yokemember, and having ratchet teeth, a transverse rod extending between andsecured to the free ends of the side legs of said inner U-shaped member,said transverse rod engaging said ratchet teeth, the reentrant portionsof said ratchet teeth being at the same distance from the top face ofsaid panel as the transverse rod is from the corresponding edge of theside legs of said inner U-shaped member, the distance between the inneredge of the cross leg of the outer U-shaped member and the pivotal axisat the free end of its legs being greater than the distance between saidpivotal axis and the end of the panel opposite thereto, the distancebetween the central pivotal connection of the side legs of said U-shapedmembers and the pivotal axis of the free end of the legs of the outerU-shaped member combined with the distance between said central pivotalconnection and the free end of the legs of the inner U-shaped member,being smaller than the distance between the pivotal axis at the free endof the legs of the outer U-shaped member and the opposite end of thepanel, the distance between said central pivotal connection and the edgeof the panel adjacent the pivotal axis of the outer U-shaped member withthe yoke, being smaller than the distance between said central pivotalconnection and the inner edge of the cross leg of the inner U-shapedmember.

2. A creeper as claimed in claim 1, comprising eastors secured to theside legs of said U-shaped members, adjnstably spaced from the crosslegs of said U-shaped members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS252,879 Jeroloman Ian. 31, 1882 876,857 Bugbee Jan. 14, 1908 1,100,901Moore June 23, 1914 1,187,648 Perry June 20, 1916 1,371,069 Brown Mar.8, 1921 1,630,279 Stroop et al May 31, 1927 1,941,301 Hanson et al Dec.26, 1933 1,982,205 Doman Nov. 27, 1934 2,604,146 Martin July 22, 19522,692,636 Morrison Oct. 26, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 175,300 SwitzerlandJuly 1, 1935

